Changing the oil and filter in your car is very simple, dosnt take up too much time, and will save you probably hundreds of dollars in just 1 year of changes.

Materials: Wrench, filter wrench, drain pan, old plastic jug, funnel, paper towels, and latex gloves.

1) Go to your local Wal-mart, auto store...etc and buy your oil and filter. most stores will tell you which kind of oil and filter to use. All this together will probably cost you no more than $15-20.


2) Park you car on a level area. Open your hood, if your engine is still hot, let it sit for a while so it is cool to the touch.

3) Jack your car up and set it on jack stands for safety reasons.


4) Place the drain pan under the oil pan/drain plug.

5) Put the latex gloves on so you dont get oil and grime all over your skin.

6) Now, take the wrench and unscrew the drain plug which is at the lowest point under your engine. Unscrew the plug slowly then pull it completely out and allow the oil to fall into the drain pan. Allow the oil to completely drain out, it will take a while.


7) Once all of the oil has drained, screw the drain plug back in tightly, but be careful not to over tighten it, as it can damage the oil pan. NEVER use a power wrench of any kind to put in an oil plug. Reposition the drain pan under the oil filter, remove the oil filter using the oil filter wrench or by hand. Remove it slowly and be careful, the filter can hold up to a quart of dirty oil.


8) Once all of the oil has dripped out, it is time to install the new oil filter. Follow the directions on the oil filter label and make sure that when you replace it that it is nice and tight, but always tighten your oil filter by hand. Overtightening by using a tool can damage the filter and the filter fitting on the engine.

9) After the oil filter and drain plug are both in securly and properly, open your oil filler cap located on the valve cover, place the funnel into the oil filler, and begin to pour the new oil in.


10) Pour most of the new oil in, then run the engine for about a minute to pump air out and oil into the new filter. Turn the car off, check the dipstick and then pour the rest of the new oil in to the proper level.

and you're all done!


As for the used oil that you have just removed, use a funnel and transfer it from the drain pan into a jug. Most shops that change oil will accept used oil, and they re-refine it for reuse. Many places do their space heating with furnaces that burn used oil.

It is a good idea to check the oil every 1,000 miles. To check it, remove the dipstick, wipe it clean, reinsert it, and remove it again. The dipstick will show you how much oil you have. The oil line should be between the "ADD" and "FULL" marks. Add oil if needed. You should do this when the engine is off but warm.

 

Excellent info. A couple of extra tips that have saved me some time on my oil changes:

1) I use a drain pan that's a fully enclosed unit. It's a one piece that has a concave top cover with a hole in the center with a plug to seal it up. At one end of the drain pan is a spout with a screw on lid. It also has a special made location to invert an oil filter to allow it to drain into the pan as well.

This is also nice because, if you drop your drain plug "into" your drain pan, it doesn't actually fall into the pan, but rather just onto the concave top where it can be easily retrieved without actually having to reach into the oil.

Using this unit, all the oil actually drains down into the pan enclosure, and, once you put in the plug, it is sealed. Wipe off the top and you can take the whole unit down to the oil recycling place without having to pour it over into another container. however, if you DO want to pour it over, you can do so simply using the built-in spout.

2) A Fumoto valve or similar. These are awesome. Replace your current drain plug with one of these simple to open valves, which have a nipple where a drain hose can be attached. this allows for a simple opening of the drain pan to drain the oil, without potentially dropping the oil pan plug into your drain pan (because there is no plug). Just turn the valve and oil starts draining. Put the drain hose on first and you can drain the oil into just about anything you like with NO mess.

3) Depending upon the positioning of your oil filter, wrapping a plastic bag up around it to catch the "oil spill" when it's removed can be really helpful in reducing the mess.

4) Inevitably, it seems like no matter how careful you are, SOME oil ends up on the garage floor. Get a mat to lay down on the floor that absorbs liquids. Place this mat under your oil change work area and no oil will ever end up on your floor.


Just some additional tips which have served me well in my oil changes over the years. Maybe some others have some tips & tricks they've discovered?